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Longlist Revealed For The William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2023 Award – and £30,000 Top Prize

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  • 18 books selected for the longlist including current professional snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan, and three-time winner Duncan Hamilton 
  • 13 different sports featured including two fiction books
  • 100% growth for longlisted female authors

The longlist for the 35th William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award – the world’s most valuable literary sports-writing prize – has been revealed today (Thursday 28th September), featuring a diverse selection of sports from squash and snooker to swimming and surfing.

The 18-book longlist was selected from more than 150 entries following a rigorous judging process from a panel with expertise in both sports and literature including The Athletic’s Nancy Froston, sports presenter Matt Williams and William Hill’s Neil Foggin.

Books making this year’s longlist celebrate a diverse world of sports literature, covering tales and insight from 13 different sports. From gripping memoirs to thrilling narratives and insightful analysis from some of the most compelling sporting stars, the longlisted books have one common thread: a profound passion for sports and sporting literature.

Six female authors make this year’s cut, doubling the number from previous years.

Three-time William Hill Sports Book of the Year winner Duncan Hamilton is in the running for this year’s Award, alongside arguably one of the greatest snooker players of all time, Ronnie O’Sullivan.

The William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2023 Longlist (alphabetical by author surname):

  • 1923: The Mystery of Lot 212 and a Tour de France Obsession by Ned Boulting
  • Hope and Glory: Rugby League in Thatcher’s Britain by Anthony Broxton
  • Inshallah United: A Story of Faith and Football by Nooruddean Choudry  
  • Unfair Play: The Battle for Women’s Sport by Sharron Davies with Craig Lord
  • Good for a Girl: My Life Running in a Man’s World by Lauren Fleshman
  • The Silence of the Stands: Finding the Joy in Football’s Lost Season by Daniel Gray
  • Answered Prayers: England and the 1966 World Cup by Duncan Hamilton
  • Tinseltown: Hollywood and the Beautiful Game – a Match Made in Wrexham by Ian Herbert
  • Althea: The Life of Tennis Champion Althea Gibson by Sally H. Jacobs
  • Nazaré: Life and Death with the Big Wave Surfers by Matt Majendie 
  • Western Lane by Chetna Maroo

 

  • The Hard Parts: A Story of Courage and Triumph by Oksana Masters 
  • Unbreakable by Ronnie O’Sullivan  
  • Concussed: Sport’s Uncomfortable Truth by Sam Peters
  • On Days Like These: The Lost Memoir of a Goalkeeper by Tim Rich
  • Nowhere to Run: The Ridiculous Life of a Semi-Professional Football Club Chairman by Jonathan Sayer
  • Kick The Latch by Kathryn Scanlan
  • The Tour: The Story of the England Cricket Team Overseas 1877 – 2023 by Simon Wilde 

 

Award panellist and renowned sports broadcaster, Matt Williams said: “This year’s longlist showcases the diversity of sports and the many ways in which they inspire, entertain, and unite communities.

“We received an unprecedented number of outstanding entries from talented authors this year, including a high volume of contributions from both female authors and international writers. Whittling these down was no small feat, resulting in an historic moment for the Awards as we reveal a list of 18 longlisted books, which encompasses fiction and non-fiction.

“These remarkable titles explore the depths of sportsmanship, triumphs and challenges across the sporting industry including sexism, and the devastating effects that head injuries have on sportspeople. All the longlisted books not only have a great story to tell but their writing captivates the reader and is the best in sporting literature.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading so many inspirational books from the most talented of authors and I’m excited to see which of the 18 books comes out on top.”

Now in its 35th year, the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award is dedicated to rewarding excellence in sports-writing and provides authors and publishers a platform to showcase and promote their book. The first William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award took place in 1989, earning it the title of the longest-established competition in the industry.

The shortlist for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2023 Award will be unveiled on 26th October, with the winner declared on 30th November 2023 at an official award ceremony at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly, London. The Award has a £30,000 cash prize for the winner and the shortlisted authors will each receive £3,000 and a leather-bound copy of their book.

iGaming

Tugi Tark and Narnium Solutions Announce Strategic Partnership to Strengthen Player Support Across Multiple iGaming Brands

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Tugi Tark has entered into a strategic partnership with Narnium Solutions, an operator managing multiple online casino brands, to deploy its customer service platform alongside AI-powered support agents across the operator’s portfolio.

Narnium Solutions brings over 15 years of experience spanning casino operations, compliance, payments, marketing, and platform management. As the company continues to expand across both emerging and established markets, delivering scalable and consistent player support has become a key operational priority.

Through this collaboration, Narnium Solutions is integrating Tugi Tark’s platform and AI agents—trained on more than 10 million real iGaming support interactions—to streamline player communication across all brands within a single, unified environment.

A company representative at Narnium Solutions said:

“Partnering with Tugi Tark marks an important step forward for us. We’re excited to introduce an AI-powered chat experience into our ecosystem, strengthening our modern iGaming stack and enhancing player communication across our brands.”

The platform is being used to centralise support operations across the NarniaSlots brand family. Tugi Tark’s AI-driven chat widget is embedded directly into each site, enabling automated handling of player queries while allowing support teams to focus on more complex cases within a shared workspace.

The solution is designed to scale alongside Narnium Solutions’ growing pipeline, which includes upcoming brands such as Lucky Mary and House of Slots, as the company continues to expand its footprint.

Harpo Lilja, CEO of Tugi Tark, said:

“Narnium Solutions operates on a global scale with the kind of multi-brand complexity our platform was built to support. We’re pleased to welcome them on board and to power player support across their entire portfolio.”

The partnership aligns with Narnium Solutions’ broader strategy of building compliant, scalable iGaming operations across international markets. With a centralised support infrastructure and AI-driven capabilities in place, the company is well positioned to deliver consistent, high-quality player experiences as it continues to grow.

The post Tugi Tark and Narnium Solutions Announce Strategic Partnership to Strengthen Player Support Across Multiple iGaming Brands appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Industry News

QTech Games recruits banking and AI leader Jonny Youssef as CTO to drive next phase of its growth journey

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QTech Games, the leading game aggregator for emerging markets, has appointed Jonny Youssef as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to lead the next phase of the company’s technology organisation, innovation and technology strategy as QTech accelerates its global expansion. Jonny will lead the continued development of QTech’s platform architecture and engineering organisation, focusing on scalability, AI-driven capabilities and next-generation tools designed to support operators and content partners across fast-growing markets. Jonny brings more than 20 years of technology leadership experience across banking, fintech, SaaS platforms and AI-driven innovation. His background combines enterprise-scale infrastructure expertise with hands-on experience building and scaling digital platforms and emerging technology systems. Previously, Jonny served as Head of Innovation for Swedbank Group Lending & Payments, where he led digital initiatives across lending, payments, APIs and digital channels within one of the Nordic region’s largest banking groups. He has also held senior technology leadership roles at Entercard Group, overseeing technology infrastructure and mission-critical production environments supporting large-scale payment operations across Nordic markets. Alongside his enterprise leadership experience, Jonny has founded and scaled several technology ventures and digital platforms. As a technology founder and CTO, he has led the design and development of international platforms operating across Europe and Asia, building distributed engineering teams and scalable digital infrastructure.

In recent years, Jonny has contributed to the development of next-generation AI and sustainability technology initiatives, including work with Circular Living and Biotonomy, where advanced AI, IoT and Edge AI systems are used to power intelligent environments, autonomous infrastructure and real-time operational insights. Beyond his commercial initiatives, he is also a board member and early contributor to The AI Community of Sweden, a national innovation network connecting professionals, enterprises and academia to collaborate on AI innovation. At QTech Games, Jonny will focus on strengthening the company’s technology foundations as it continues to scale globally, enhancing AI-driven functionality, automation and analytics capabilities that enable partners to unlock greater value from the platform. He will also oversee QTech’s engineering and technology teams to ensure continued innovation while maintaining the speed, reliability and integration flexibility that have become hallmarks of QTech’s aggregation platform.

QTech Games’ CEO, Philip Doftvik, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Jonny to QTech at an important moment in our growth journey.

“He brings a rare combination of enterprise technology leadership, platform-building expertise and forward-looking innovation in AI and automation. His experience across banking infrastructure, global digital platforms and emerging technology ecosystems makes him uniquely positioned to guide us through its next phase of technological evolution.

“As we continue to expand across emerging markets, Jonny’s leadership will help ensure we remain at the forefront of innovation — delivering scalable infrastructure, AI-driven insights and powerful technology solutions that help our partners grow.”

Jonny Youssef added: “QTech Games has built a strong reputation as one of the most innovative and reliable aggregation platforms serving emerging markets.

“What impressed me most is the company’s focus on speed, simplicity and partner success — combined with a clear ambition to continue evolving the platform through technology. I’m excited to join the team at a time when AI, automation and data-driven capabilities are creating new opportunities to deliver even greater value to operators and game providers.

“My focus will be on strengthening the platform architecture, scaling our technology capabilities with AI and supporting the next phase of QTech’s growth.”

The post QTech Games recruits banking and AI leader Jonny Youssef as CTO to drive next phase of its growth journey appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Games Global

Games Global and Stormcraft Studios dive into aquatic adventure with Mermaid’s Millions Cashingo™

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Games Global, together with exclusive studio partner Stormcraft Studios, has unveiled Mermaid’s Millions Cashingo™, a vibrant deep-sea slot blending enchanting visuals with engaging mechanics to deliver a layered gameplay experience.

Building on more than 15 years of success enjoyed by the heritage title, Mermaid’s Millions, the upgraded sequel introduces the Cashingo™ and ULTRA Link&Win™ features to enhance gameplay.

Set in a shimmering underwater kingdom, the 5×5, 40-payline title unfolds among coral caverns and glittering reefs, with win potential in excess of 13,000x.

At the heart of the game is the Cashingo™ feature, where Cash and Jackpot Coins populate a dedicated grid during both the base game and Bonus Spins. Some coins appear as glowing pearls, duplicating onto the grid where they stick and accumulate.

Forming horizontal, vertical, or diagonal lines awards instant prizes and jackpots, while pearls landing on occupied positions merge their values to increase potential payouts.

Further intrigue comes through the ULTRA Link&Win™ feature, activated by landing six or more coin symbols. The feature begins with three respins on a 5×5 grid, with coin symbols locking in place while the remaining positions continue to respin.

Special Seahorse Coins can unlock additional rows, expanding the reels and increasing reward potential, while boosters such as Collectors, Doublers, Persistent modifiers and Extra Life Coins can appear to increase winnings and extend the feature.

The adventure continues with Bonus Spins, activated by three or more scatter symbols to award 10 spins, where wild and coin symbols can appear Power Stacked to heighten the chance of significant wins.

Combining ocean-themed visuals with proven mechanics, Mermaid’s Millions Cashingo™ delivers a dynamic experience designed to keep players engaged.

Terence Igesund, Executive Producer at Stormcraft Studios, said: “Mermaid’s Millions Cashingo™ was made to feel vibrant and full of momentum from the very first spin.

“The ocean setting gave us the perfect canvas to build something visually rich, while the mechanics keep the action evolving as the grid fills and the reels expand.”

David Reynolds, Director of Games Strategy and Partner Management at Games Globalsaid: “Stormcraft Studios has delivered yet another title that blends strong visual identity with mechanics that are both engaging and easy to understand.

“Mermaid’s Millions Cashingo™ captures that balance well and is another example of how our studio network continues to deliver diverse, high-quality content that strengthens the breadth of the Games Global portfolio.”

The post Games Global and Stormcraft Studios dive into aquatic adventure with Mermaid’s Millions Cashingo™ appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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